Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition

Left to Right: Yamen Smadi, MD; Sangeeta Bhargava, MD; Nishant H. Patel, MD;
Shaista Syeda Safder, MD; Devendra I Mehta, MD; Teri Jackson, MSN, APRN;
Justin A. De Boer, MD; Brenda Cardenas, MSN, APRN; Jeffrey A. Bornstein, MD;
Maricruz Crespo, MD; Akash Pandey, MD; Ellen “Brandi” Tindal, APRN; Khaled Bittar, MD

Not pictured: Vijay Mehta, DO; Carolina Raijer, MSN, APRN

ABOUT US

The Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition has been caring for children and families in Central Florida for over 20 years. All our physicians are board-certified in pediatric gastroenterology (GI) and are members of subspecialty committees for national and international GI organizations. Our philosophy is to provide the same level of care to our patients as we would want for our own family members. We treat our patients and families with respect and dignity as we deliver nationally recognized care at 11 locations across Central Florida. We strive for excellence in clinical care and take pride in teaching medical students, residents, advanced nurse practitioner students, and pediatric gastroenterology fellows.

Our center includes pediatric nurse practitioners, pediatric dietitians, a developmental psychologist, a clinical social worker, and nurse coordinators. Our registered pediatric dietitians provide complete nutritional and dietary assessment and education. We also work closely with our other subspecialty colleagues to provide comprehensive, coordinated care for each child. We have developed and participated in many programs to meet the critical needs of families across the region.

Our subspecialty programs include:

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center of Excellence participating in Improve Care Now and caring for over 600 children with inflammatory bowel disease.
• Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity Disorders.
• The largest complete Neurogastroenterology and Motility Center in the Southeast U.S., performing esophageal, antroduodenal, and colonic motility as well as Endoflip™ – functional luminal impedance planimetry.
• Anorectal Dysfunction Program utilizing anorectal manometry
and biofeedback to help in the treatment of defecation disorders.
• Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) and Allergic GI Disorders Clinic with specialized testing, including non-sedated evaluation of EoE activity. We follow over 600 patients with EoE.
• We are the only Pediatric center in Florida actively performing unsedated transnasal endoscopy (TNE).
• The multidisciplinary Aerodigestive Center, which includes GI, pulmonology, craniomaxillofacial surgery, and ENT, as well as speech pathology, with the ability to do in-office flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).

• The Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Feeding Difficulties Center, the largest intensive feeding therapy program in Central Florida.
• Children’s Hospital Intestinal Rehabilitation Program (CHIRP), a multidisciplinary program caring for children with short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure.
• Healthy Lifestyles Program. At the Healthy Lifestyles Program, our goal is to provide pediatric patients and their families with guidance on how to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle that will result in improved wellness.
• Multidisciplinary Cystic Fibrosis Center is a specialized healthcare facility designed to provide comprehensive, coordinated care for pediatric patients living with cystic fibrosis—a complex, chronic genetic condition that affects multiple organ systems, especially the lungs and digestive tract.
• Multidisciplinary Spina Bifida Program, where patients up to age 18 can be evaluated and treated by experts who come together to treat the multiple needs of spina bifida patients.
• Pediatric Hepatologist Clinic treats a variety of liver and liver-related conditions. Provides the only multispecialty hepatology clinic dedicated exclusively to children.
• Pediatric Liver and Intestinal Transplant Program for pre-and post-transplant care – the only program dedicated to long-term care of pediatric intestinal and multivisceral organ transplant patients in Central Florida.
• Integrative Medicine Clinic to improve the quality of life of children with functional disorders.
• Neonatal and Pediatric Nutrition Clinic providing evidence-based medical nutrition therapy to assist with children’s growth, early development, disease prevention, and disease management.
• GI Bone Health Clinic is a specialized multidisciplinary clinic that focuses on the intersection of digestive health and bone development in children.
• Cardiac Nutrition Rehabilitation Clinic for pediatric patients is a specialized, multidisciplinary program designed to support children with congenital or acquired heart conditions who face challenges with growth, feeding, and nutrition.

Our Pediatric Gastroenterology Translation and Diagnostic Lab has supported clinical care and enabled continued research to enhance the care of our children and families, resulting in over 40 nationally recognized research publications. From simple illnesses to complex chronic diseases, our team is here to care for children and their families.

PREMIER DOCTORS: Khaled Bittar, MD; Jeffrey A. Bornstein, MD; Justin A. De Boer, MD; Akash Pandey, MD; Shaista Syeda Safder, MD; Yamen Smadi, MD

TOP DOCTORS: Sangeeta Bhargava, MD; Jeffrey A. Bornstein, MD; Devendra I. Mehta, MD; Shaista Syeda Safder, MD; Yamen Smadi, MD

LOCATION & CONTACT INFORMATION

60 W. Gore Street, Orlando, FL 32806 | 321-841-3338 | ArnoldPalmerHospital.com/KidsDigestion